Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 22
Anyway, Violet thought that for now, Aldrick was treating her well because there was something he wanted.
For example, her body.
In fact, throughout the journey, Aldrick constantly asked Violet questions.
“Are you feeling okay? Is anything uncomfortable? You’re probably sore from not being used to riding. Let me help loosen you up.”
She wasn’t unaware of the intention beneath those words. Violet wasn’t so oblivious.
Ever since they had left the house, Violet hadn’t engaged in the ‘duty’ of married life with him.
Partly because she was tired, and partly because she simply couldn’t bring herself to. If he clung to her like he had on the first night, it was clear they wouldn’t be able to continue the journey.
To put it plainly, Aldrick was what people often called ‘a man with a strong libido’.
From the beginning, he had seemed more than willing when it came to that ‘duty’, so Violet quickly realized that he was still quietly hoping for it.
“Are you feeling better? Maybe today… No, never mind, it’s fine. Don’t mind me.”
Of course, he never forced her. Instead, every night, he would gently ask for her thoughts in a subtle voice. And when no favorable answer came, he would quickly give up and lie quietly beside her.
But it seemed he was a man who didn’t know how to truly give up. Throughout the trip, he put in endless effort to help Violet’s body recover. Or rather, to maintain it in good health.
Perhaps worried that prolonged riding had stiffened her muscles, he massaged her entire body every night, used hot water to soothe her, and at every opportunity, rubbed her shoulders and feet.
Violet was aware of how desperately he hovered around her.
One day, she found herself a bit annoyed by it and asked him with a hint of resentment.
“You really want to do that that badly?”
“That?”
“Um… the thing between married couples?”
As soon as he heard the words, Aldrick’s face flushed red like a perfectly roasted sweet potato.
“You’ve been treating me so well because of that, haven’t you? I figured as much.”
“…No, that’s not it—”
“Then why do you keep asking me every night?”
At her question, he only rubbed his chin roughly and stayed silent.
“I’m fine just holding hands with you in bed. But it feels like you’re not, and that makes me a bit sad.”
His face, which had been burning red, suddenly went pale at those words.
“If you don’t want me to ask, I won’t ask anymore. I’ll never even let it show again.”
She hadn’t meant to restrict his behavior to that extent, but he retreated like a puppy that had just been kicked.
Seeing that, Violet thought, Well, maybe it wasn’t just lust after all. She really couldn’t figure out what Aldrick was thinking.
***
It had been over a month since the two had set off on their journey.
Unlike the deeply satisfying early days of travel, Violet had grown a little dissatisfied over the past week.
And because the root of that dissatisfaction was herself, the displeasure felt even heavier.
“Sure, I might have said something… but did he really have to take it this far?”
It was an irrational complaint.
Ever since she voiced a single complaint, Aldrick had completely stopped showing any hint of desire toward her.
Like a proper knight, he thoroughly controlled himself. So thoroughly, in fact, that he now practically avoided touching her at all, to the point of near-obsessive restraint.
At the last village, she had to talk him out of renting a carriage on the spot. Violet enjoyed walking arm-in-arm with him.
“It’s like we’ve completely missed the mark here. When did I ever say not to touch me at all? I just… wanted you to be a bit more refined about it…”
At this point, she wasn’t even sure what she herself wanted anymore.
She just resented the way Aldrick, who now repressed everything and approached her like an obedient, well-trained hound, refused to come near.
Her frustration simmered inside.
The worst came that night.
Even when things were awkward between them, Aldrick always insisted they sleep in the same bed, even squeezing into the narrow bed back in Saint-Loure. But for the first time, he booked a room with two separate beds.
In that moment, all the irritation boiling inside Violet spilled over, and she lost her composure.
She wasn’t the type to get angry easily.
It was thanks to her naturally calm personality that, as a child, she could stay composed despite the constant bullying from her half-sisters.
And that calmness held even today.
Rather than get mad at Aldrick’s extreme decision, she simply felt deflated.
And perhaps… a little tender toward him.
Violet thought to herself,
‘He must’ve been playing knight for so long since he was a child that he has no flexibility at all. Huu. I guess I’ll just have to be the mature one and make the first move. What am I supposed to do with this boy—kill him or raise him?’
